


Lil Toot Toot

by orphan_account



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Adoption, Adoptive Parents Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde, Age Regression/De-Aging, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Parents Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde, Slow Romance, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-06 04:06:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11592597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Nick gets contacted by a nearby hospital he wastes no time before speeding towards it. Not only because it's about his best friend and former partner in crime but also because the message was rather cryptic. After breaking several traffic laws to get there he and his partner Judy are greeted by Finnick with a rather odd condition. One that can't be fixed by band-aids or biotics. It is something only time can fix, hopefully.AlternativeFinnick de-ages to an actual toddler and Nick and Judy take care of him. During that journey, their budding relationship starts to blossom.





	1. Chapter 1

''I'm glad you could be here so soon.'' Said the spiky nurse as she walked them towards the room. Nick and Judy were walking behind her in silence. Neither knowing what to say, but both for completely different reasons. Nick was trying not to let it get to him. But after pretending to be the tiny fox's dad for so many times it was hard not too. The father act started to grow on him so much, he would be lying if he said he didn't miss it.

Judy, on the other paw, was mostly concerned about the fox next to her. Despite his size, Judy knew Finnick could take care of himself. After all, he did almost hit her with an (adorable) baseball bat. The only thing that stopped her from talking was the look on Nick's face. It felt like nothing she would say would get to him. It's why she decided to pick the non-verbal route by taking his paw. When he finally noticed it she shot him a smile. Her heart fluttered when she saw him calm down a bit and she squeezed his paw. Only to have him squeeze hers in return.

The halls of this hospital seemed endless but they finally made it to Finnick's room. Judy raised her eyebrow as she read the patient's name on the door. In scribbly blue letters read the name 'MORTIMER'. Were they at the wrong room? Or was this nurse lost? All those questions got answered when the nurse turned towards them.

''Here we are. But before I can let you in, I must warn you.'' Nick and Judy could feel their hearts drop. Nothing good could come after this. ''He's not as you remember him. To be a little more specific he's a little smaller than you remember him.'' It was obvious by the way the nurse talked and behaved that she was very nervous. Another indicator that something was very wrong.

Nick and Judy shared a confused look before looking back at the nurse. The red fox nodded at the porcupine and she opened the door. ''Mortimer, there are some visitors for you.'' Her tone was cheery mixed with something else. It took them a second but they both realized it was the tone adults used to talk to kids. Confusion struck their faces once more. Intensifying when they heard soft squeaky sounds. 

Nick held his breath before walking through the door. Only to stop when he saw his former partner in crime. Judy didn't notice and walked straight into him. ''What's wrong, Ni-'' She stopped as she saw the small fox.

Finnick was sitting in the middle of the bed. Happily sucking on his pacifier. When the nice nurse greeted him he smiled, but the pacifier in his mouth didn't leave. But when he saw Nick and Judy the pacifier slipped out of his mouth as he brightly smiled at the two. Even letting out a little giggle.

 ''Oh my god. I-is, is that Finnick?'' Asked a confused Judy while Nick was standing slack jawed next to her. 

In response, Finnick held out his arms to her, as if he wanted her to pick him up. If they weren't so shocked both of them would think it was adorable. But right now they were too shocked to know what to think.  

Judy shifted her eyes around the room. From Nick who was still surprised to the nurse who looked less surprise. ''Oh, eh Finnick is his nickname.'' That had the desired effect as the nurse nodded in response.

''That explains a lot. He doesn't always react when we call him Mortimer. And when he does I'm not even sure it's because we said his name.'' The nurse said with a voice that was noticeably more relaxed than before. ''Before you ask any questions let me tell you what we know so far. But I have to apologize in advance as we don't know much about the whole situation either. In fact, we don't know anything. Somebody found him in his van like this. At first, we thought it could be Finnick's son but after a couple of DNA tests we found out it was Finnick himself. Just... younger.'' The nurse's voice wavered as she didn't know how to continue, as there was nothing to continue with.

Judy placed her paw on the nurse's shoulder and smiled at her. ''It's alright. I'm sure you guys did your best. And hey, it's not like this happens every day, right?'' Judy asked to lighten up the mood. The smile on the nurse's face told her that she succeeded.

It felt like his eyes were about to fall out of his head. But Nick just couldn't stop staring. It felt so surreal, even after all the times he saw Finnick dressed as an elephant. Because now he was even smaller, something he never thought was possible. Nick often joked that this was how he came out of the womb. Which always resulted in him getting hurt in some manner, but it was never anything he couldn't handle.

Just like he couldn't stop staring, he couldn't stop himself from walking towards Finnick. He could faintly hear the nurse and Judy discuss something behind him, but he didn't care. When the smaller fox noticed Nick walking towards him he reached out his short arms towards him. Carefully Nick touched the small paws. Only to flinch back when he heard a little giggle. His eyes widened before his whole expression softened into a smile. With the initial shock wearing off he decided to pick the tiny fox up. The giggles that followed filled his heart and he placed Finnick against his chest to hold him better.

Judy and the Nurse were talking about who had to take care of Finnick for now. With his parents both dead and no known siblings or other relatives. In other words, family was out of the option. But because Finnick technically wasn't a real toddler, an orphanage wasn't an option either especially since they didn't know if the effects of whatever this is were irreversible or not. 

Judy was about to ask Nick for his opinion but the words died in her throat as she saw them. She could feel her heart flutter when she saw Nick holding Finnick. With Finnick being very interested in Nick's shiny badge. Judy and the nurse both let out an audible 'aw', which caught Nick's attention.

However, before he could say anything Judy beat him to the punch. ''I would like to take care of him.'' For a couple of seconds, nobody reacted. Even Finnick was quiet but that was because he was too fascinated by Nick's badge. But Nick, Nick was quiet because he didn't understand what she meant. But when the wheels in his head started turning and the lightbulb on his head heated up, he finally understood.

''Are you insane? You can't take care of a toddler by yourself.'' Nick whisper shouted at Judy so he wouldn't upset the toddler in his arms. Despite being raised by a single mother he didn't think it was a smart idea for Judy to do so. After all, they have been through he didn't think she was ready for this. Especially since her career just begun. A career which required _a lot._ Especially if you wanted to grow in this field, which Judy obviously wanted.

''I'll have to correct you there, sir. Children raised in loving one parent families are often not worse off than families with two parents. I'm sure that Miss Hopps could take care of him if she wanted to.'' The nurse said encouragingly. Judy and the nurse shared a smile before Judy walked closer to Nick.

''Back in Bunnyburrow, I babysat a lot of my siblings. Some even younger than Finnick right now. And don't forget I babysit Judy sometimes. And she's practically miniscule.'' The thought of her godchild sends a smile to her face. While babysitting such a small thing proved itself to be difficult, she found herself unable to reject Fru-Fru whenever she asked for her help. 

As he heard his name Finnick looked up at Judy and raised his paw for her to hold. With a smile she accepted it and she gave the tiny paw a soft squeeze. ''Besides, I won't be on my own. My parents will support me however they can. And I'm sure there are officers with kids who could give me some tips.'' Judy was rambling on and on about the people in her life who could help her. The daycare not far away from her home and more. Nick was about to interrupt but when she looked him deep in his eyes and placed her free paw on his shoulder.

''But most important of all, I have you.'' The smile on her face softened before she continued. ''I don't expect you to take care of him with-''

''Well you should.'' Nick interrupted. And with a voice that held as much courage as it held doubt he said, ''Because I'm going to.'' 

The smile on Judy's face brightened and she threw her arms around Nick's neck before pulling him in a hug. But when she felt Finnick in between them she quickly let go. ''Sorry, big guy.'' She said as she kissed his forehead. Judy took the little giggle that followed as an acceptance of her apology.

''I suppose I should give you this then.'' Said the nurse as she held up a freshly clean elephant pajamas. ''This was what he was wearing when we found him, and by the looks of it our little guy wants it back.'' Nick and Judy looked at Finnick who was pawing towards the costume.

At the sight of the pajamas, Judy couldn't help but chuckle. ''Want to go get a jumbo pop? My treat.''

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Before they left the hospital they had to pick up some of Finnick's belongings at the reception. With a sleeping Finnick in Nick's arms, they stepped out of the hospital. And once they did it felt like a tsunami of questions hit them and drowned them. How did this happen? Is it reversible? Who found Finnick? Why did they bring him to the hospital instead of calling the police? Are there going to be more like him? And the most important question of all, how were they going to explain this to chief Bogo?

The soft snores of the tiny fox pulled them out of the water. The hopeless look on their faces washed away to make room for a look of fondness. The two officers looked at each other and smiled. Together they could fix this. Unfortunately, their little moment got ruined when Nick's phone started to ring. But because Nick was holding Finnick, and they didn't want to disturb him, Judy picked up the phone.

''Wilde, where are you two?'' Asked a deep voice with a tiny hint of concern. After all to him it looked like two of his best officers sped off to the hospital for an unknown reason. If he knew about it sooner he would've called sooner. Unfortunately, he can't babysit his monitor all day so he didn't find out about it until now.

''Sir, this is officer Hopps. We'll explain ourselves when we get back. I think we might have a case on our hands, but it's kind of hard to explain.'' The line fell silent for a couple of seconds before Judy heard an audible sigh.

''Get back immediately.'' And with that he hangs up the phone to mentally prepare himself for what was coming next. If this was anything like her debut case he could use all the preparation he could get. 

With a sheepish look on her face she slowly looked at Nick. ''We don't happen to have a baby seat in the car do we?''

''Oh yes of course we do!'' Judy tilted her head in confusion at that answer, as she only asked out of nervousness. ''For all the baby's and toddlers we have to arrest.'' That earned him a glare from Judy and if it wasn't for the fact that he was holding Finnick he would've gotten a punch in the arm too.

''Well that means we have to take the bus.'' And now it was Nick's time to tilt his head. ''Children must wear-''

''Wait!'' Said a distant voice. Both Nick and Judy turned to the voice to see the nurse walking towards them. She was holding something in her hands. When she was closer it was clear to see that she was holding a baby car seat.

''Here you go.'' She said as she handed the car seat to Judy. ''I'd figured you two wouldn't have one. Since you're cops and all.'' The nurse let out a little breathless and nervous laugh.

''Thank you so much, is there any way we could repay you?'' Asked Judy. The nurse shook her head.

''Just let me install this for you.'' The nurse answered smiling.

''That's a deal.'' Replied Nick with a smile of his own.

After the nurse installed the baby seat they were finally ready to leave. The entire ride to the police station was quiet except for the soft snores from Finnick in the back. Both officers were thinking about what they were going to tell to the chief. But neither voices their thoughts. As they couldn't think of how they were going to tell him. The only comfort they had was that they had physical evidence in the form of Finnick and his DNA tests.

''This is it.'' Said, Judy as she parked the car. Tension started to rise in the car and it felt suffocating to them both. Only to have it destroyed as Finnick let out a little toot. Before they left the hospital they changed Finnick into his slightly too big elephant pajamas. And now they were glad he did. Nick and Judy shared a smile and with new found confidence they stepped out of the car. 

As Nick opened the door to pick up Finnick he was greeted with a happy little toot toot. As he picked him up he couldn't help but place a little kiss on Finnick's forehead. With the small fox in his arms he walked towards Judy.

''Ready?'' She asked to Nick and herself.

''As ready as I'll ever be.'' Answered Nick as he raised his paw. With a smile Judy took Nick's paw and together they walked into the police station. 

''O M Goodness. That's the most adorable little elephant I've ever seen.'' Said Clawhauser when he spotted Nick holding Finnick. His smile only widening when he saw that Judy and Nick were holding hands. ''What's your name little guy?'' He asked cheerily.

Finnick answered with two a 'toot toot' which got an audible 'aw' from Clawhauser and a chuckle from Nick. ''His name is Finnick.'' Answered Nick for him. 

''So what brings him here?'' Asked Clawhauser. While he had his suspicions he knew he shouldn't expect them with the two who were standing in front of him. The look of worry that struck Nick and Judy's faces only confirmed it.

''Well, we're not sure. But.. we might have a case here.'' Judy fished through her pocket till she got what she wanted. It was Finnick's ID and with a hop she placed it on the desk. 

Clawhauser got worried when he heard the word case. His mind shifted to child abuse. But who could possibly hurt such a sweet little guy? But that thought flew away when Judy gave him an ID. The picture on the card looked very familiar and he realized that the fox on the picture looked a lot like the tiny fox in Nick's arms. Was this a missing mammal case? Is that why the small fox was here? Because his dad was missing?

''I know what you might be thinking.'' Said, Judy after she gave him some time to think. ''And that's exactly what the hospital was thinking too.'' Added Nick. 

''But no, nobody is missing. And then especially not the owner of the ID.'' Clawhauser only got more confused but before he could voice his questions Nick continued with, ''Because that fox is right here.'' And for emphasize he pulled down Finnick's elephant hoodie to reveal his big ears. This got him a teary pout from Finnick who tried to put the hood back on. Unfortunately, he couldn't do it so Nick put it back on. Nick made a mental note not to pull of Finnick's hoodie again. While the pout was cute he didn't want to see his best friend cry.

The whole time Clawhauser was staring with widened eyes and a slack jaw. His eyes shifting from Finnick to Nick to Judy and back again. Were they really trying to tell him what he think they were trying? He must've asked that without noticing because both Nick and Judy answered with a yes. Judy pulled some papers from her bag and she placed it on the desk to let the evidence talk for itself.

They were DNA tests that confirmed their story. ''Oh my goodness,'' Clawhauser whispered as he looked through the papers. But one thing stuck out to him. ''He hasn't changed that much.'' Which got him a slight chuckle from Judy and an amused smile from Nick.

Nick was about to tell him about their little pawsicle hustle but he noticed the clock on the wall. They were wasting enough time already. ''I would love to tell you more but we don't want to keep the chief waiting.'' This got Judy's attention and both her eyes and Clawhauser's widened.

''We better hurry up. I'll tell you how it went later. See ya!'' Said Judy as she and Nick speed walked to Chief Bogo's office.

With a smile Clawhauser watched them as they left. ''Zootopia sure was a lot quieter before these two showed up.'' But despite his words his tone was filled with fondness.

When they reached Chief Bogo's room it felt as if the door was even more intimidating than usual. The only thing that calmed them down was the sound of Finnick sucking on his pacifier.  Unconsciously Nick held Finnick tighter against his chest. While subtle the gesture didn't go unnoticed by Judy who smiled as she felt some of her nerves melt away. 

Nick was about to knock on the door when a loud booming voice echoed through the room.

''Don't keep me waiting.''

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This somehow ended not as fluffy as I wanted it to be.


End file.
